#Ju on 4 series#

The open ventral hatch opening, which apparently appeared on all variants, can be used without additional modification, even if the cupola is not installed. One good feature of the kit from the conversion standpoint, and this kit easily lends itself to making some of the many variants of this aircraft, is the ventral cupola, which is molded in a separate unit which attached to the forward section of the fuselage. You'll also find three highly detailed seats, which have shoulder harnesses but no seat belts, and a two piece control column. The internal details are basic, with the cockpit consisting of a floor, instrument panel, rear bulkhead, and radio panel. The molding represents the state of the art in the late eighties, with slightly raised panel line and rivet details, although this is not a problem for me, as I recall years ago examining a JU-88D that was held in storage at Davis-Monthan AFB in Tucson, AZ (It is the same aircraft now exhibited at the Air Force Museum in Dayton, OH), and recall that I was surprised to find so many round headed rivets on a plane that I would have assumed to have been flush riveted over the entire airframe. The kit consists of 101 grey plastic and 7 clear plastic parts. Looking at the way the kit is designed, it would not be difficult to convert this to an earlier JU-88A-1 or JU-88A-5, as the differences are minor. Then there were the original JU-188 kits which appeared about 1976 or 1977, and these were excellent, and still are. The 'G' model also had the simpler, one gun canopy, and the radar and armament peculiar to this model.

On another manufacturer's kit of the JU-88S, small star washers purchased at Ace Hardware filled the bill perfectly, but I digress. The 'C' model has a new solid nose and no bomb racks or dive brakes (they may have been on a sprue, but were not to be used), while the JU-88G had the BMW engines and cowlings, without the cooling fans common to this engine, by the way. The current re-release of the JU-88A-4 is identical to the original except for the decals, as far as I can tell. I am not sure exactly when these first appeared, but my records show that I built all of them, including the original JU-88A-4, between 19, so they aren't very recent. These kits all had different parts to suit the variant, and I am including photos of them all for comparison. `Actually, Italeri produced not only the JU-88A-4, but also a JU-88C heavy fighter and a JU-88G night fighter.

#Ju on 4 series#

This kit was issued many years ago, a number of years after Italeri's very successful series of JU-188 kits, and replaced the out of date Airfix, Frog, and Revell offerings of the sixties and seventies. In addition, the JU-88 was exported to a number of countries, including Finland, Italy, Rumania, and Hungary, and captured examples were operated by the French during the latter stages of the war, and for a considerable period afterwards. The JU-88 served in every area that the Luftwaffe operated, and was never replaced by its successor, the JU-188, or by the high performance prototypes, the JU-288 and JU-388. Its final task was as the lower half of the 'Mistel', where the aircraft was converted to a large guided missile by the installation of a larghe warhead and shaped charge detonator, carrying a Messerschmitt BF-109 or Focke Wulf FW-190 mounted on top as a controller plane. Originally designed as a fast bomber during the late thirties, the type was adapted for use in the reconnaissance, day and night fighter, close support, maritime search and attack, torpedo bombing, and training roles. The Junkers JU-88 was the Luftwaffe's 'jack of all trades' during World War II. Review kit provided by Model Rectifier Corp (MRC) HISTORY